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By Shane Croucher
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U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna said she believes there is an intelligence connection to Jeffrey Epstein, after hearing witness testimony to Congress about the late sex offender and financier.
There is growing pressure on the Trump administration to fully deliver on its promise of full transparency over the Epstein case. A number of Epstein's victims appeared on Capitol Hill this week to demand the full release of information.
The Department of Justice published more than 30,000 pages of files related to the Epstein investigations in recent days.
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"In my opinion, there is definitely an intelligence connection," Luna, a Florida Republican and chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee's Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, shared in a post on X late on Thursday evening, September 5.
"Countries named by the lead attorney for the witnesses included Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Israel, as well as a former CIA director," she said, adding that it was "inferred to be [a] CIA director under the Bush administration." She did not specify which director.
Newsweek has contacted victims' attorneys for comment to clarify Luna's remarks. Newsweek has also attempted to reach all President George W. Bush-era CIA directors for comment.
A spokesman for George Tenet, who served as CIA director from 1996 under President Bill Clinton until 2004 under Bush, told Newsweek that Tenet "is unaware of any intelligence connection of any kind with Jeffrey Epstein."
He said Tenet had "never met Epstein before, during or after" his tenure at the CIA.
Luna had said she wanted to "share some additional information" about the Epstein witness statements to members of Congress after she met with them on Tuesday, September 2.
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Epstein Criminal Referrals a Goal: Luna
There has long been speculation that Epstein had links to intelligence services, which partly explained how he had acquired his wealth. Epstein had developed a large network of wealthy and powerful individuals.
But the Department of Justice said previously there is no credible evidence that Epstein maintained a "client list" of such individuals whom he had incriminated in order to blackmail them.
"This is a very large and expansive investigation. To be clear, the end goal is not only to deliver justice for the victims but also, equally important, to make criminal referrals to the DOJ," Luna posted to X.
"It is also important to understand how frightening this is for some of the women involved. In some cases, they were threatened. With that in mind, I will continue to provide updates on what we can share without jeopardizing the investigation."
Trump Calls Epstein Uproar 'Democrat Hoax'
President Donald Trump has faced criticism from his own supporters in the MAGA movement for his administration's handling of the Epstein files.
Many still believe there is an Epstein cover-up about his activities and death, which officials say was a suicide in jail, and think there are files some in the federal government have sought to hide.
But Trump, speaking in the Oval Office after Epstein's victims appeared on Capitol Hill, called it a "Democrat hoax that never ends," despite the anger from his own base on the issue.
He drew a comparison with the JFK assassination, which his administration had released previously unseen files relating to, after decades of conspiracy theories about the CIA's potential involvement.
"We gave them everything, over and over again, more and more and more, and nobody's ever satisfied," Trump said.
Annie Farmer Still Searching for Epstein Answers
One of Epstein's victims, Annie Farmer, told the press conference on Capitol Hill that, after thirty years, she still does not have all the answers about what happened.
Farmer said she was 16 years old when she was flown to New Mexico to spend a weekend with Epstein in 1996. Farmer said her sister, Maria, reported the abuse that occurred that year, including the "theft of sensitive photos" of them.
"I am now 46 years old. Thirty years later, we still do not know why that report was not properly investigated or why Epstein and his associates were allowed to harm hundreds, if not thousands, of other girls and young women," Farmer said.
"We have never been told whether those images were found when they discovered a large amount of child sexual abuse material on his property."
Farmer said for years Epstein's crimes were an "open secret" and that his interest in young girls was known by many, who "chose to look the other way because it benefited them to do so," seeking access to his network and his money.
She added: "We are not going away, and we are not going to be quiet, and we are not going to give up, and I ask the American public to stand with us and not give up."
Farmer called for a "thorough public review of the information" to prevent the systemic failures that happened in the Epstein case.
Updated, 9/6/25, 3:11 a.m ET: This article was updated with a comment by Tenet's spokesman.
Update, 9/5/25, 9:20 a.m ET: This article was updated with more information.
Update, 9/5/25, 7:30 a.m ET: This article was updated with more information.
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